Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo are in agreement about the AD curve but they are having a heated argument about the AS curve. Luke states that "only changes in short-run output can shift the AS curve", while Leia argues that "using rational expectations, only changes in the past value of inflation can shift the curve." Finally, Han Solo claims that "the steeper the AS curve, the bigger the (up or down) shift following an inflation shock." Who is right?

Select all that apply.

Question

Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo are in agreement about the AD curve but they are having a heated argument about the AS curve. Luke states that "only changes in short-run output can shift the AS curve", while Leia argues that "using rational expectations, only changes in the past value of inflation can shift the curve." Finally, Han Solo claims that "the steeper the AS curve, the bigger the (up or down) shift following an inflation shock." Who is right?

Select all that apply.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To tackle the question, we first restate the scenario and all the options to clearly map what is being evaluated.
Question setup: Luke, Leia, and Han debate about the behavior of the AS (aggregate supply) curve. The prompt asks which statements are correct, selecting all that apply. Answer choices are: Luke Skywalker; Princess Leia; Han Solo; Princess Leia and Han Solo; None of them.
Option 1: Luke Skywalker – 'only changes in short-run output can shift the AS curve.' This claim is incorrect. In macroeconomics, the short-run aggregate supply (SRAS) can shift due to changes in input prices (like wages and commodities), technology, productivity, resource availability, and inflation expectations, among others. The assertion that only changes in short-run output can shift AS ignores these other determinants that can move the entire SRAS curve itself. Also, shifts in AS are not limited to “changes in short-run output” but rather to the underlying conditions that affect costs and production at every price level.
Option 2: Princess Leia – 'using rational expectations, only changes in the past value of inflation can shift the curve.' This is not an accurate description. Rational expectations theory relates to whether agents form forecasts of inflation (and other variables) that on average are correct. It does not imply that only past inflation values shift the AS curve. In fact, factors such as shifts in costs, technology, and supply shocks can shift AS regardless of expectations about past inflation. Moreover, shifts in the curve are about changes in determinants of costs and production at all price levels, not a single historical inflation component.
Option 3: Han Solo – 'the steeper the AS curve, the bigger the (up or down) shift following an inflation shock.' This statement confuses a shock to inflation with a shift of the AS curve. An inflation shock typically causes movement along the SRAS (due to price/wage stickiness and misperceptions) or shifts the AD curve via demand-side channels, but the slope of the AS curve does not by itself determine the magnitude of a shift in the AS curve in response to an inflation shock. The severity of a shift is driven by the actual determinants of AS (costs, expectations, technology), not simply by the slope. Therefore this claim is incorrect.
Option 4: Princess Leia and Han Solo – this combined option asserts both Leia and Han are correct. Given that both of their individual statements are incorrect, this combined option is also incorrect.
Option 5: None of them – This option states that none of the three characters’ statements are correct. Based on the analysis above, Luke’s claim is false, Leia’s claim is false, and Han’s claim is false. Therefore, none of the statements accurately describe the standard, textbook relationships involving the AS curve and its shifts or responses to shocks.
Putting it all together, each statement contains a conceptual misinterpretation: AS shifts are driven by changes in production costs, policy, technology, and expectations about inflation (and related factors), not solely by short-run output, past inflation in a rational-expectations sense, nor the slope determining shift magnitude after an inflation shock.
Note: If you want, I can map each statement to a short real-world analogy or a basic diagram to reinforce the distinctions between shifts versus movements along the curve and the roles of different determinants.

FA25 ECON 302 002 Final Exam

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